Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe

Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Francis Thorpe (Sac and Fox (Sauk): Wa-Tho-Huk, translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals. Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with the New York Giants, and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships; he later played for six teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians. From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41, the end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the Great Depression. He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism, and lived his last years in failing health and poverty. He was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953. Thorpe has received various accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. A Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains, which were the subject of legal action. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: May 22, 1887

Deathday: March 28, 1953

Popularity:

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Known For

Off His Base
Off His Base

1932-09-18

Wagon Master
Wagon Master

1950-04-22

The Dark Horse
The Dark Horse

1932-06-16

The Man from Texas
The Man from Texas

1939-04-19

Frontier Scout
Frontier Scout

1938-09-16

Air Mail
Air Mail

1932-11-03

Code of the Mounted
Code of the Mounted

1935-06-07

Sweepings
Sweepings

1933-04-14

Wildcat Trooper
Wildcat Trooper

1936-07-01

My Pal, the King
My Pal, the King

1932-04-03

Hill-Tillies
Hill-Tillies

1936-04-24

Sutter's Gold
Sutter's Gold

1936-03-01

Start Cheering
Start Cheering

1938-03-03

Treachery Rides the Range
Treachery Rides the Range

1936-05-02

Henry Goes Arizona
Henry Goes Arizona

1939-12-08

Klondike Annie
Klondike Annie

1936-02-21

The Red Rider
The Red Rider

1934-07-16

White Heat
White Heat

1949-09-02

The Daring Young Man
The Daring Young Man

1935-07-17

Trailin' West
Trailin' West

1936-09-04

Moonlight on the Prairie
Moonlight on the Prairie

1935-11-02

The Arizonian
The Arizonian

1935-06-27

It's in the Air
It's in the Air

1935-10-10

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara

1935-12-07

The Vampire's Ghost
The Vampire's Ghost

1945-04-13

Silly Billies
Silly Billies

1936-03-20

Arizona Frontier
Arizona Frontier

1940-08-19

Outlaw Trail
Outlaw Trail

1944-04-29

Prairie Schooners
Prairie Schooners

1940-09-29

Wild Horse Mesa
Wild Horse Mesa

1932-11-25

Rustlers of Red Dog
Rustlers of Red Dog

1935-01-01

They Died with Their Boots On
They Died with Their Boots On

1941-11-20

Mexican Spitfire Out West
Mexican Spitfire Out West

1940-10-29

Captain Blood
Captain Blood

1935-12-26

Big City
Big City

1937-09-03

Fighting Youth
Fighting Youth

1935-11-01

The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii

1935-10-18

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara

1935-12-07

The Ivory-Handled Gun
The Ivory-Handled Gun

1935-11-11

Road to Utopia
Road to Utopia

1946-02-27

Always Kickin'
Always Kickin'

1932-10-09

Wanderer of the Wasteland
Wanderer of the Wasteland

1935-09-09